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Just because something “tastes funny” doesn’t mean it’s going to kill you. There’s a big difference between food that has lost nutrients and food that will make you sick. That’s why the Star has brought in the experts to answer the staple of kitchen queries: “Can I still eat this?”

“Many home fridges could be like 10 degrees off,” says Chan, who was with Toronto Public Health for 36 years. Once on a home inspection, Chan discovered a fridge temperature of 15 C, more than 10 degrees warmer than recommended.

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“If the fridge is not at 4 C or below, food spoils really fast,” he says.

Open cereal box

The Scenario: You forgot to seal your favourite cereal box and it’s been sitting open in your pantry for days. When do you stop eating it?

The Verdict: Seal it and eat it before it goes stale.

“Cereal itself is a very shelf-stable product,” says Chan. “Assuming that it’s a box of cereal from a manufacturer.” If you buy your cereal from a bulk food store, he says, storage could be a little shorter. Ultimately, “it might go stale, but it’s still not unsafe to eat.”

Albert adds that the nutrients may diminish over time from these more “highly processed” cereals. “The risk of that is more that it’s going to go stale,” says Albert. The texture may change and the nutrients may diminish.

Uneaten yogurt cup

An unopened cup of yogurt left out for a day may be risky for kids, but fine for adults.

The Scenario: Your kid forgot to eat the yogurt cup you packed for them and it’s been in their backpack all day. Can you put it back in the fridge?

The Verdict: Eat it that day or toss it.

“That one would be too risky to feed it to kids. That’s the problem. Kids are a vulnerable population,” says Albert.

But if the yogurt was for her, that’s a different story. “If I left my backpack in the car in the cold, yeah, I would eat it.”

Chan agrees. The commercial yogurt cup is a fermented product that won’t spoil easily if unopened, he says, though public health messaging will always warn of products left out for more than 2-4 hours.

Cooked quinoa

Unlike rice, quinoa can last up to a week in the fridge.

The Scenario: You cooked a big batch of trendy quinoa and stored it in an airtight container. How long do you have?

The Verdict: 5-7 days

Lucky for you, quinoa isn’t rice. “Rice can create its own aflatoxin,” a strong carcinogen, says Albert. If it were cooked rice in your fridge, you’d have just a few days. With quinoa, you could have up to a week, she says.

“As long as it’s cooked and the full boil killed everything,” says Albert, your meals can stay trendy for the whole week.

Chan adds that the less you add to it, the longer you can keep it. “If it’s plain cooked quinoa in a tight container, it can be kept in the fridge for quite long,” says Chan.

Open almond milk carton

Almond milk, since it doesn't actually any dairy, can last weeks in a fridge.

The Scenario: The carton has a re-closing tab and you’ve kept it in the fridge. But how long do you have to drink it?

The Verdict: A couple weeks in the fridge.

Calling it “milk” is misleading, says Chan. “It’s not really a dairy product,” so it’s not as dangerous as true milk. “They’re actually quite safe. But almond milk, just like soy milk, they have quite a bit of protein in that product that can still support growth of bacteria.”

“It diminishes in its nutrients but it’s not going to make you sick,” says Albert. “My dog food is probably past its due date, right? But am I going to care? So she doesn’t get enough vitamin E today — whatever.”

Frozen pork chops

Uncooked frozen pork chops in a Ziploc bag can last up to 6 months in a freezer.

The Scenario: You’ve sealed uncooked pork chops in a Ziploc bag and stored them in the freezer. How long can they stay in there?

The Verdict: 6 months

Both experts agree that 6 months is a good cut-off.

But it can depend on the freezer, says Albert. “The higher quality ones are sealed better so the temperature remains the same and you don’t get freezer burn build up.”

Freezers should be set to -18 C, recommends Chan.

“Fresh meat, if it’s put in a Ziploc bag and into the freezer right away, it’s actually quite safe,” he says. “They don’t go bad in the freezer. Sometimes you’ll get freezer burn or dehydration. The texture might not be the same when you try to cook it.” If the meat in the freezer is already cooked, Chan wouldn’t use it after more than 3 months.

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